Recommended Reading: April 10, 2017

eMarketer’s scan of the key developments of the day, plus data to make sense of it all

Image-focused social sharing network Pinterest is getting beyond the US heartland. The company announced this week that it hit 175 million monthly active users, an increase of 25 million from October 2016’s figure. The company said much of its user growth was from international markets, with the sharpest upticks coming from Brazil, France, Germany and Japan.

Indian Regulators Nix Reliance Jio Promo

The Telecom Regulator Authority of India, the country’s telecommunications regulator, ordered mobile service provider Reliance Jio to withdraw a promotional scheme where it would give three months of free service to customers who paid an initial fee by April 15. Reliance Jio has severely disrupted India’s formerly hidebound mobile wireless sector with offers of 4G network speeds at very low prices, but has come under fire from competitors that have seen their profits plummet as a result.

Railway Deutsche Bahn Adds Digital Video

Germany-based rail operator Deutsche Bahn has teamed with streaming service maxdome to offer an airline-style collection of movies and TV programming on its high-speed ICE trains. Travelers will need to install the maxdome Player app on their mobile devices to access a regularly updated library of around 50 free videos or subscribe to a monthly paid plan providing access to more than 1,000 videos, according to Telecompaper.

China News App Toutiao Banks $1 Billion

News-focused Toutiao, one of the most popular content apps in China, has secured $1 billion in its latest funding round, according to a report in TechNode. The new round gives the service a massive $11 billion valuation. Toutiao recently expanded further into mobile video with its purchase of US-based Flipagram.

Adidas Turns to 3-D Printing

German sportswear company Adidas unveiled a new sneaker with a 3-D printed sole that’s set for mass production in 2018. The company plans to use 3-D printing technology to provide its customers with more customization and has partnered with Silicon Valley startup Carbon on executing its vision.

—Cliff Annicelli, Rahul Chadha, Rebecca Chadwick and Rimma Kats

New Report in eMarketer PRO This Week

Shifts in how retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands think about ecommerce, combined with an accelerating acceptance among consumers for buying food digitally, have boosted online sales of groceries. Retailers and brands are taking note of these changing consumer behaviors and offering more digital options for grocery shopping and delivery, which will continue to drive the trend upward in 2017 and beyond.
Preview Report